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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The recent Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey,
Calif., showcased the rarest and most costly autos in the world, from a 1935
Duesenberg to Ferrari race cars.

Also included on the lawn were new concept cars from
Lamborghini, Aston Martin and Hyundai.
Yes, Hyundai.

The South Korean brand has come from the first shoddy
exports to North America in the 1980s to the HCD-14 Genesis concept, an
automotive sculpture from the brand’s Irvine, Calif., design studio.

Hyundai has declared that it can line up alongside the
world’s most storied brands and not look out of place.

While the Genesis
concept car won’t go on sale as shown, it indicates where the company is
headed, especially relevant for me, having just spent a week in the current
model, a 2013 Genesis 5.0 R-Spec.

The Genesis is Hyundai’s rear-wheel sedan and the best
example of the company’s unusual blend of budget and luxury.

The Genesis swims in competitive waters, among luxury
sedans like the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, Jaguar XF and the Lexus GS350. It’s unlikely
that even the next generation Genesis will snag away 5 Series drivers who look
for superior driving chops and brand recognition.

What the Genesis 5.0 does is beat competitors in value,
with all of the major options included in the $48,000 price. It also gets a
10-year/100,000-mile power train warranty.

The all-in sticker is a major change from the practices
of German automakers, who are
especially prone to charging for every option. It’s also not easy to find a
base BMW or Mercedes on sales lots.

While there is a base Genesis sedan with a 333-horsepower
V-6 and a price of $35,100, the R-Spec is the model most in keeping with its
rivals. It has a 5.0-liter V-8 with an eight- speed transmission, 19-inch
wheels and leather seats.

Also included are a power sunroof, lane departure warning
system, rain-sensing wipers, adaptive xenon headlamps, a navigation system and
backup camera. One of the few options you can add is a $35 iPod cable.

I kept comparing the Hyundai to another car I recently
reviewed, the Jaguar XF 2.0, which starts at $47,000. The entry-priced Jag
looks great and handles extremely well, besting the Hyundai in both categories.
But it has only a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with 240
horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque — underwhelming compared to the
Genesis’s V-8, with 429 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque.

With all of its options, many which aped the Genesis, my
test XF came to $61,100. Not so cheap at all. It’s easy to see why many
consumers would happily look to the less expensive Hyundai.

Of course not all is perfect. Hyundai has been on a
design roll recently — but the current Genesis is still using older, stilted
design language. The front end (which has no logo on the grill) looks like a
reinterpretation of a Mercedes, and the sides are bland.

The HCD-14 concept indicates a new direction. It is long
and slinky, with an upright sci-fi nose and short overhangs. It also has a
rear-hinged back door, the kind of concept car styling which rarely makes its
way into the real car.

The production-ready Genesis will be shown at January’s
Detroit auto show as a 2015 model, and a company spokesman says it could go on
sale the second quarter of next year.

The interior of the current Genesis lacks a suede
headliner and first-grade leather. The navigation system mimics the Mercedes
rotary control system, a poor choice. It should be a touch screen. One imagines
those issues will be fixed in the next generation.

Hyundai’s drive character has steadily improved, but the
R-Spec’s steering is artificially heavy, and the body rolls in corners, with
odd shudders on broken pavement. The result is a feeling of wallowing, rather
than wafting, down the road.

The thing’s got guts, though. Ford has famously offered
its 5.0-liter V-8 on the Mustang over the years, and there’s a bit of muscle
car character to this engine. It pushes through traffic with a nice bit of
rough sound.

Turn off the traction control and gun it around a corner,
and you’d even get a bit of tail swinging action like in a 1970s action film.

Again, my mind turns to the next generation, and the
improvements that may come. Will it go the way of Lexus, soft and pliant, or
BMW, heady and fast?

The R-Spec’s strengths and weaknesses are clear. It makes
an excellent entry into the luxury sedan space for budget-minded buyers.

And when the new generation is released, the current car
should go on a fire sale with significant incentives. It could make a very good
deal a veritable steal.